Traditional Osso Buco & Italian Risotto

This will be my second time making this dish. The first time, I couldn't find veal shanks anywhere, so I used chuck roast instead. It turned out really, really delicious. The meat was so tender. I knew I wanted to make this dish again, but only if I found Veal Shanks.

I first tried Osso Buco at an Italian Restaurant here in Olympia called Sorrento's. The risotto was really good, the Osso Buco was okay. I thought the veal shanks would be tender, it wasn't. I didn't know how it was supposed to taste, so I looked up several recipes and came across this one from Allrecipes.

Ingredients:

2 pounds veal shanks, cut into short lengths
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup Butter
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2/3 cup dry white wine
2/3 cup beef stock
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
salt and pepper to taste
Gremolata:
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
2 teaspoons grated lemon zest

DIRECTIONS
1.Dust the veal shanks lightly with flour. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat. Add the veal, and cook until browned on the outside. Remove to a bowl, and keep warm. Add two cloves of crushed garlic and onion to the skillet; cook and stir until onion is tender. Return the veal to the pan and mix in the carrot and wine. Simmer for 10 minutes.
2.Pour in the tomatoes and beef stock, and season with salt and pepper. Cover, and simmer over low heat for 1 1/2 hours, basting the veal every 15 minutes or so. The meat should be tender, but not falling off the bone.
3.In a small bowl, mix together the parsley, 1 clove of garlic and lemon zest. Mix into the veal just before serving. (This is the gremolata sauce which I haven't tried yet because I didn't want to add it to the sauce. I will try it the next time I make it though).

Chopped up carrots, onions, garlic & browned veal shanks.

Braising the veal shanks.

Ingredients for the Risotto. 

I used the recipe on the back of the Risotto box. The first time I made this, I added fresh sliced button mushrooms. It was excellent. I intended to add mushrooms to my risotto again, but I didn't use it in time and it went bad.

Basic Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1 whole medium Onion
2 Tbsp Butter
5 cups Chicken Broth (preheated)
1 & 1/2 cup Risotto

Add the olive oil and butter in a large saute pan on medium heat. When melted, add onions and cook until golden brown, stirring often.
Add the risotto and stir for about 1-2 minutes.
Add the chicken broth one cup at a time, each time it is absorbed by the risotto.
Stir continuously for about 15-18 minutes. It is done when all the broth is absorbed and the risotto should be al dente. 

This is how it should look like. I used a wooden spoon because thats what it said to use. Plus it works well on your nonstick pans. 

Risotto is al dente and done cooking. It looks undone, but it is still hot and cooking even when you turn the heat off. It will turn out perfect. Just remember to keep stirring and add enough of the chicken broth.

Here is the finished result. The veal shank tasted just like the one at the restaurant. Like the recipe says "it should be tender, but not falling off the bone". I like my meat falling off the bone. The reason why I made it again was because I liked when I made it the first time~ with a different type of meat. It was so tender. I thought it would be even better with the veal shank, since that's what the recipe called for. I was wrong.
So, I would make this again with the chuck roast meat or another stewing meat, but not with the veal shank. I ended up cooking it for another hour to make it a little more tender. It worked, but it was still a little rubbery to me. I also would add mushrooms to my risotto. I guess if I used a different cut of meat it wouldn't be called Osso Buco or would it still be?